Tips To Make House Cleaning More Fun

Tips To Make House Cleaning More Fun

There is a bit of an argument going on about whether you have to slog through cleaning your home no matter what, or whether you should even attempt it unless you’re in the right headspace. The argument is most likely because each of us has our own personality and needs and so that decision is purely from your personal perspective.

Are you the type to really enjoy the instant rewards a clean home gives you?

Are you the kind of person who can push through anything to get something done?

Do you have to (or can you) talk yourself into doing your chores?

Or are you asking yourself if you really need to be cleaning right now? Perhaps a clean place doesn’t necessarily make you personally happier and therefore you would rather be doing something else for personal enrichment.

Either way it really comes down to the fact that housework must be done, so how are you going to get it done regularly without suffering? With that in mind, we’ve put together some useful tips for making housework more fun for all involved, no matter what kind of motivation you must clean.

Read a Housekeeping Book, Magazine, Blog, or Article

Nothing spells motivation like looking at the pictures and words from the pros or others like you who are so happy to help you have a clean, organized home. Don’t let yourself get too distracted by all that’s out there but use it for a wee bit of fun reading time before you get started. And Google for printable cleaning task lists too – that might be just the extra fun and motivation you need to build your cleaning momentum.

Put Something On The Line

Are you a betting person? Put your money where your mop bucket is! Whether this is just with your kids and you’ve come up with a game and a reward, or you’ve bet favors in a pact with your partner, or you’ve put cash on the line with family or friends, this competitive fun might be just what you need to get things done.

Get Instant Rewards While Cleaning

Use a song playlist, a podcast, audio book or a particular TV show that you’re only allowed to listen to while you’re cleaning or watch once the house is clean. Or chat on the phone with someone who makes you happy.

Music can be an excellent motivator and mood-booster while you clean. Play something that really gets you in the mood and maybe play it loud! Ask your friends and people on social media what they enjoy that’s energetic and positive, will get you moving, and maybe you’ll even dance while you clean.

Using an audio book or podcast while cleaning can really pull your head away from the task at hand as you get engrossed in a fictional story, a non-fiction true crime book, comedy, or any other type of show on podcast that you really enjoy. This not only gets you motivated to clean, but you actually have time to listen to that podcast or “read” that book (by listening to the audio) that you never seem to have time for otherwise.

Likewise, you can use this time to talk on the phone to someone you love to chat with but don’t have a lot of time for in your daily life. Set yourself up with a comfortable earpiece and call someone to catch up. Before you know it, your time has zoomed by, your chores are done, you’ve shared stories and laughter, and you feel re-connected with someone special. Even just 15 minutes on the phone can make a big difference in an important relationship.

Lower Your Expectations

No one is perfect and trying to be will set you up for failure and ill feelings instead of positivity about what you can or have accomplished. Trying to be perfect is no fun! If you find the carpet is worse than you thought, don’t get distracted and frustrated and lose your momentum. Finish the task you thought you had and add spot-cleaning or steam cleaning to your chore list for another day. Smile and walk away, vacuuming was enough this time, you can and should focus that extra effort elsewhere for now.

Can You Be a Morning Person?

Let’s say you’re home on a weekend, you have your task list in front of you and your choice is to go do something fun somewhere else or do 20 minutes of tiresome cleaning first. Choose to clean! You’ll be done for the day, feeling accomplished, and make a dent in your master chore list. Then go have some fun elsewhere and come home to a cleaner house after that.

Rearrange a Room While Cleaning It

For some people, the benefit of a rearranged room is just plain fun. While you clean, change it up by moving furniture and decor. Maybe choose a new layout for area rugs or even move pictures and paintings. Now is also a great time to hang new window coverings! Even if you only rearrange the porcelain bunnies on an end table you are dusting, your happiness index will increase. If you find that rearranging furniture and shelves leads to a can of worms with carpets that need cleaning, etc., just add those things to your master chore list and tackle them on another day. Don’t let this slow down your momentum!

Use More Rewards

Are you driven by rewards? You could set up a reward system for every task completed or save up for a big reward after a room is completely done or everything on your master chore list is scratched off. Rewards could be a trip to the thrift store, a bottle of your favorite wine, a sushi dinner, watching a new movie, or anything that you don’t get often and/or feel guilty about indulging in.

Make It Family Time

Use the reward system they would approve of, competitive games, chore charts – whatever it is that will get them motivated! Set aside a block of time for cleaning together and then have an awesome game and movie night with pizza.

Get By With a Little Help

There are a few fun ways this could go, but all of them involve inviting your favorite people over. Check it out:

Have friends over for a cleaning party which can go one of two ways. Grab a bottle of wine and some easy hors d’oeuvres, put on a great song playlist, and hand out task lists if they’re all going to be cleaning. Offer to do this for them in return. The alternative to this is just have an awesome friend come over to chat while you clean around her. Maybe she has a new baby and wants to get out of the house – this would help her too. This is also a great time to invite an elderly neighbor over that needs some attention, but you’ve been too busy to give much.

Another idea is to trade cleaning chores with friends. If you know someone who hates doing something you love, and vice versa, that’s even better. Perhaps you can cook for her some day because she came over to do your mound of laundry. Or you can clean each other’s’ play rooms or patios. Or rearrange each other’s living rooms together. Whatever it is, it splashes a lot more fun into the chores when they’re not yours!

And finally, you should know that it’s perfectly okay to outsource. If you’re feeling buried under all the cleaning, call or visit us at the Tidy Maids website and give it a try. If it feels great, you’ll have a lot more fun cleaning when you’re not stressed out over what more must be done or feeling like you’ll never get caught up again!